Refrigerator inner door structure



June 1958 R. E. MOORE ETAL 2,840,434

REFRIGERATOR INNER DOOR STRUCTURE Filed Feb. 15, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet l ROBERT E. MOORE WARREN R. BOWER ROBERT D. STRUB INVENTOR ATTORNEY June 24, 1958 R. E. MOORE ErAL REFRIGERATOR INNER DOOR STRUCTURE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 13, 1956 E mR O 0 W E T R E B O R WARREN R. BOWER ROBERT D. STRUB BY M ATTORNEY June 24, 1958 R. E. MOORE ETAL REFRIGERATOR INNER DOOR STRUCTURE 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 .Filed Feb. 15, 1956 INVENTOR ROBERT E. MOORE WARREN R. BOWER ROBERT D. STRUB fiwz ATTORNEY June 24, 1958 R. E. MOORE ETAL 4 REFRIGERATOR INNER DOOR STRUCTURE Filed Feb. 13, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 I l l ROBERT E. MOORE WARREN R. BOWER ROBERT D. STRUB INVENTOR L a BY ML ATTORNEY June 24, 1958 R. E. MOORE ETAL 2,840,434

REFRIGERATOR INNER -noo1= STRUCTURE Filed Feb. 13, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 er" 'i: m

* w 1T 1 l O) m N H '--E m l: H ROBERT E. MOORE 1 WARREN R. BOWER ROBERT D. STRUB .I 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEY United States Patent O 2,840,434" REFRIGEaATon INNER DOOR STRUCTURE Robert E. Moore, Whittier, Calif., Warren R. Bower, Evansville, Ind., and Robert D. Strub; Coralville, Iowa, assignors to Amana Refrigeration, Inc., Amana, Iowa, a corporation of Iowa Application February 13, 1956, Serial No. 5645924 4 Claims. (Cl. 312214) This invention relates to freezer and refrigerator cabinets and more particularly to the inner door structure for a refrigerated compartment.

The'tendency in recent years has been to design an inner door structure for a refrigerator which would have increased utility in the storage of foods. It is conventional now for refrigerators to be manufactured with narrow shelves of one type or another within a shallow recessed inner door structure. While such a shelf may'be utilized for the storage of certain foods, its utility is rather limited as a practical matter and frequently such shelves are more an item of appearance and esthetic value rather than being a structure Which provides for the optimum storage of foods and other similar items. One of the reasons for the smallness of the shelves in conventional refrigerators is that the inner door surface is frequently made of plastic by the vacuum molding process and therefore is not capable of supporting large loads. It is also generally true that the recess n the inner surface of the door is not of suflicient depth to accommodate anything more than a comparatively narrow shelf. Hence if larger shelves were utilized in conventional models it would either be necessary to reduce the thickness of insulation-to provide for the wider-shelf and hence reduce the operating efficiency of the refrigerator as 'a unit or to extend the shelves inwardly from the inner doorsurface in'which case there wouldyery probably be an in suflicient' amount of support'for the enlarged shelf; By

our invention we have provided a refrigerator door which is sufficiently strong and-rigid tosupport a large compartment within even when filled' tocapacity with foods; Thiscompartmentis especially adaptable for the storage ofleafy vegetables and other types'of' food which have a tendency todehydrate after relatively'prolonged periods Optimum temperature and humidity condi-" of storage. tions are maintainedwithin the compartment,'thus'mak-' ing it' possible to store foods on" the inner surface of thedoor'whichwould otherwise have to be stored in the refrigerated compartment itself as is customary in conventional design; In addition, the corripartmen't is conveniently located fo'r'finger-tip accessibility, thereby elimihating" the customarystoopiug and bending which .so he quentlyaccom'panies the utilization of conventional struce' It is therefo're-an object of our invention to pi'ovid e 'an impr'o'vedinner door structure for a refrigerator cabinet.

Another object of our invention is to provide, an inner door compartment which is sufficiently strong and rigid for'thestorage ofcomparatively large quantities of foods. Yet another objectof our'invention is to provide an improved hydrator compartment.

It is also an object to provide a hydrator compartine'ntf having a source'of illumination therein.

compartments.

Patented June 24, 1958 Still another object is to provide finger-tip storage for large quantities of food which are easily accessible.

Yet another object of our invention is to provide removable vessels for use within the inner door structure.

Still a further object of our invention is to provide an inner'door structure of increased utility and convenience, which may be partially disassembled for cleaning and which is economical and easy to manufacture.

In carrying out the objects of our invention a deep drawn metal inner door pan is rigidly attached to a metal outer door by means of thermal spacers. A plastic breaker frames spans the distance between the outer door and the inner door pan and is so designed to provide in combination with the deep drawn inner doorpan an even deeper recess which is divided and subdivided into food storage compartments, drawers and horizontal shelves. A- part of the deep recess serves as a hydrator compartment and is equipped with removable sliding and at least partially transparent panels covering an access opening therein. Removable bins are provided for positioning.

' within said compartment to facilitate the selective storage of foods. In addition there is a light within the compartment which is actuated by opening and closing the refrigerator door.

For a better understanding of our invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings in which Figure l is a perspective view of the inner door structure comprising" our invention;

Figure 2 is a partial elcvational view of the inner door structure;

Figure 3 is a partial cross sectional view taken on line IIIIII of Figure 2;

Figure 4' is a'partial cross'sectional view taken on line IVIV of Figure 2, showing the breaker frame construction as an extension of the inner door recess;

Figure 5 is'a partial cross sectional view taken on line V-V of Figure 2; i

Figure 6 is a partial vertical cross sectional view taken on line VI-VI of Figure 3; k V

Figure 7 is a fragmentary cross sectional view showing the detail of-the top' tracks for the horizontally sliding doors;-

' Figure 8 is a fragmentary cross sectional view showing the bottom'tracks for the same horizontally sliding doors;

Figure 9"is a partial view in cross section showing the runners for the pull-out drawers in Figure 6;

Figure 10is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on'line X-X-of Figure 8.

As shown in the'drawings:

Figure 1 illustrates a combinationfreezer and refrigerafor cabinet 10 having a conventional freezing compartment at thebottom and a conventional refrigerator compartment'll at the top; The compartment 11 has a front access opening and a door 13 for closing the opening. The door 13 is comprised of a cleep-drawn'metal outer dbor'sliell 14and a'd-eep-drawn metal inner door pan 1'5 rigidly affixedtogether by means of thermal spacers (not shown) at each of the four corners. Also not shown is a layer: of suitable insulation between the outer door shell 14"and tlie'innerdcor pan 15 whereby a thermal barrier i's pr'ovided. A'plastic breaker frame 16 spans the area betweenthe 'marginaledge 17 of the outer door shelli l and the terminal edge 13 of the inner doorpa'n 15. The breaker frame-reds attached" to the marginal edge 17 to-' 'In the area of the lower portion of the door 13, the

breaker fr'arne V1'6'is'provided with built-up portions 21 on either side whichextend inwardly of the plane described by the terminal edges 18 of the inner door pan 15. This built-up portion 21 is provided with a reverse fold; 22 which lies adjacent the terminal edge 18. This feature of the breaker frame 16 together with the deepdrawn inner door pan provides an extraordinarily deep recess 23 within the door 13 for the storage of foods.

Within a portion of the recess 23 is a hydrator compartment 24 having a back wall 25 and side walls 26 and 27 which are formed by the inner door pan 15. Also further defining therside walls 26 and 27 are the reverse folds .22. A horizontal shelf 28 extends between side walls. 26,.and 27 and is rigidly attached thereto by screws 29.0r other suitable means. The shelf 28 is also attached to .the back wall 25 and serves as a top wall 30 of the hydrator compartment 24, spanning the full depth of the recess 23 from the back wall 25 to front marginal flange 31 where it is supported by a decorative rigidifying member 32 which will be more fully discussed below. A second shelf 33 defines the bottom wall of the hydrator compartment 24 and is likewise attached to the side walls 26 and 27 and to the back wall 25 by means of screws 29 or'other suitable fastening means. The shelf 33 also has a rigidifying member 34 attached along an outer marginal flange 35 which will be more fully discussed below. As best-shown inFigure 6, the bottom shelf 33 is further supported at its center by means of a rigid sleeve 36 which abuts the bottom wall 37 of the inner door pan 15 and through which a fastening means 38 extends to permanently position the sleeve 36 which maintains the shelf .33 from the bottom wall 37 in fixed vertical space re-.

lation...

Integral with the back wall 25 of the hydrator compartment is anembossment 39.into which a light 40 is positioned and suitably circuited to a switch (not 'shown) which cooperates with the door 13 in such a manner that the light 40,is on when the door is open and is off when the door 13 is closed.

of said sliding doors to further provide for ease in operation. In preferred form doors 42 and 43 are made from plastic or other suitable material which is at least partially if not completely transparent.

A pair of identical food bins 51 and 52 are removably positioned within the hydrator compartment 24. Each bin is sufliciently small so that it may be removed and replaced when only one sliding door is in the open position and yet the two bins 51 and 52 are large enough to occupy substantially all the shelf space in the hydrator compartment and thus utilize all available space to a maximum. It will also be noted that the front wall 53 of the food bins is only about one half as high as the total depth of the bins. Integral with the front wall 53 is a downturned marginal portion which serves as a handle 54 for easy removal of the food bins. Removably positioned on the top of each of the bins 51 and 52 are shallow dishes or trays 55 and 56. Each tray extends the full width of the food bin and is constructed with downturned flanges 57 and 58 which overlap sidewalls 59 and 60 of the food 7 bins. As best shown in Figure 5 and Figure 3, these trays the. bins from within the compartment 24. It will also be noted that both the top shelf 28 and the bottom shelf 33 are constructed with longitudinal offsets 61 and 62 a respectively adjacent the rigidifying support members 32 It will be. noted that the light 40 is located centrally I rigidifying member .32 and at the bottom in another pair of horizontally spaced parallel tracks which tracks are integral with the rigidifyingmember 34.

The overall distance between the deepest point 46 of the tracks 44 and the abutrnents 47 defining the. tracks 45 is greater than the height of the sliding doors 42 and 43 from the top edge 48 and the bottom edge 49 thereof. This feature makes it possible to completely remove both sliding doors forcleaning purposes or for 100%i accessibility intothe hydrator compartment 24 and to reposition the doors when so desired in .order that they operate as a closure for the. front access opening 41 of the hydrator compartment 24. This is accomplished by simply raising,

for example door 42, upwardly into one'of. the tracks 44 until the bottom edge 49. clears the abutment 47. Then simplypull the bottom edge of the door beyond the abut-.

ment 47 and lower from the track 44 to remove complete ly from the assembly. The'reverse of this operation just describedis of course all that is necessary to reassemble the sliding doors 42 and 43. As a practical matter the grooves which form the tracks 44 are sufliciently wider than the thickness of the doors 42 and 43 thus providing a certain amount of play so that the doors can be removed 7 and replaced without binding and also will slide easily in day to day operation. Handles 50 are provided on each and 34 which are attached by bolts 63 or other suitable fastening means to marginal flanges 31 and 35 on each of saidshelves. In addition to assisting in the rigidification of the shelves the offset 62 also serves as an abutment which prevents the food storage bins from being displaced frornthe shelf 33 and from marring the sliding doors 42 and 43 should the refrigerator door 13 be violently closed. This offset 62 also serves a similar purpose if foods are stored in the hydrator compartment 24 without using the food storage bins 51 and 52. As shown in Figures 8 and 10 the rigidifying member 34 is also attached at each end thereof to the reverse fold 22 of the breaker frame 16*by means of a thread cutting screw 64.

Below the hydrator compartment 24 and below the shelf 33 are a pair of removable drawers 66 and 67. Each drawer is supported by, means of horizontal flanges 68 and 69 at the top edge of the side walls 70 and 71 which cooperate with horizontal channels 72 and 73 respectively which are in turn attached to the inner door pan 15 by means of screws 29 or other suitable devices. Each drawer is provided with a front cover 75 which extends beyond the bottom 76, side walls 70 and 71, and the top .78. The overhang 79 at the bottom of the front cover 75 serves as a grasping means to facilitate the removal of the drawers 66 and 67; At the sides and top the overhang 79 provides a finished appearance and conceals from view a recess 80 and components therein when the drawers are closed. Flanges 68 and 69 carry integral molded stops which abut upturned portions 81 of the channels 72 and 73 toprevent the drawers 66 and 67 from being inadvertently dislodged. t

From the foregoing it is readily apparent that we have provided an inner door structure which is new and novel and combines many features of utility and convenience. The hydrator compartment 24 is large and yet is so constructed that all items of food stored therein are easily accessible. It is provided with its own source of illumination and transparent doors thus making it possible to see into the hydrator compartment without opening or removing either of the sliding doors 42 or 43. 1 This inner door structure is sufliciently strong to support large quantities of food and at the same time maintains an optimum temperature and humidity for most beneficial storage results. Foods such as lettuce, celery and other leafy items will remain crisp and fresh over prolonged periods of time. This inner door structure which constitutes the subject matter of our invention is neat and attractive and is especially suitable for a domestic refrigerator inner door which is utilized in the home.

Although only one preferred form of the invention has been shown and described in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims.

We claim as our invention:

1. In a refrigerator door, an outer shell, an inner pan having a backwall and inwardly extending marginal flanges, a breaker frame extending between said shell and said pan and having portions projecting inward from the side flanges of said pan defining therewith a compartment of less height than said pan and of materially greater depth than the remainder thereof, and a shelf in said compartment secured to the side flanges and the back Wall of said pan, said shelf extending inwardly beyond the side flanges of said pan and being secured to said inwardly projecting portions of said breaker frame, said shelf providing reinforcement for said backwall and side flanges and inwardly projecting portions effective for restraining them against movement inwardly and outwardly of said pan.

2. In a refrigerator door, an outer shell, an inner pan having a backwall and inwardly extending marginal flanges, a breaker frame extending between said shell and said pan and having portions projecting inward from the side flanges of said pan defining therewith a compartment of less height than said pan and of materially greater depth than the remainder thereof, and an upper shelf and a lower shelf in said compartment secured to the side flanges and the back wall of said pan, said shelves extending inwardly beyond the side flanges of said pan and being secured to said inwardly projecting portions of said breaker frame, said shelves being imperforate and defining in cooperation with the portions of said pan and said projecting portions therebetween a hydrator compartment.

3. In a refrigerator door, an outer shell, an inner pan having a backwall and inwardly extending marginal flanges, a breaker frame extending between said shell and said pan and having portions projecting inward from the side flanges of said pan defining therewith a compartment of less height than said pan and of materially greater depth than the remainder thereof, an upper shelf and a lower shelf in said compartment secured to the side flanges and the back wall of said pan, said shelves extending inwardly beyond said pan, rigid reinforcing members secured to the inner edge portions of said shelves providing trackways extending therealong, and doors for said compartment extending between and slidably mounted on said trackways.

4. In a refrigerator door, an outer shell, an inner pan having a backwall and inwardly extending marginal flanges, a breaker frame extending between said shell and said pan and having portions projecting inward from the side flanges of said pan defining therewith a compartment of less height than said pan and of'materially greater depth than the remainder thereof, an upper shelf and a lower shelf in said compartment secured to the side flanges and the back wall of said pan, said shelves extending inwardly beyond said pan, and each being provided with a substantially vertical reinforcing flange extending from its inner edge and a substantially horizontal reinforcing flange extending from the edge of said vertical flange remote from the corresponding shelf, rigid reinforcing members secured to said horizontal flanges of said shelves and providing trackways extending therealong, and doors for said compartment extending between and slidably mounted on said trackways.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,898,922 West Feb. 21, 1933 2,010,799 Sexton Aug. 6, 1935 2,061,453 Crosley et al Nov. 17, 1936 2,266,857 Field Dec. 23, 1941 2,299,655 Reeves Oct. 20, 1942 2,463,238 Bissell Mar. 1, 1949 2,694,906 Didion Nov. 23, 1954 2,718,446 Hinkel Sept. 20, 1955 2,729,863 Kurtz Jan. 10, 1956 2,768,046 Evans Oct. 23, 1956 

